EXCITING VOYAGE

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19900, 1 June 1936, Page 4

EXCITING VOYAGE

BRITISH FREIGHTER. Battles with Atlantic galea that delayed her for six days, a journey down the ice-strewn Delaware River, which an officer described as a “ nightmare of navigation," a race to the aid of a foundering Greek ship, and a light with the terrific seas that lashed the Australian coast a few days ago, were incidents in the voyage of the British motorship Australind on her journey from London to Sydney. The vessel ! reached Sydney last Friday. Shortly after leaving London for New York the Australind encountered' the full force of the winter gales, and day after day fought through mountainous seas that broke over her bows and swept along her decks. The normal run of the ship is 270 miles a day, but not once during the voyage was that total reached. Rain fell practically continuously, and bitterly cold head winds added to the discomfort of the crew. She was six days overdue when she reached New York. The Australind loaded cargo for Sydney at Philadelphia, and the journoj both up and down the Delaware Rive was fraught with danger. It was in th> depth of winter, the river had bee. frozen over, and ice-breakers were en gaged unceasingly in clearing a pat. for shipping. The Australind joinei the procession of vessels through tliice, huge blocks of ice drifting acre her bows, and endangering the proper lors. Ultimately she reached her berth, and tugs were then requisitioned to churn up the water so as to sweep away the ice from the piers. Several times the Australind had to manoeuvre her stern to the berth to assist the work with her propellors. SEARCH FOR DISTRESSED SHIP A few days after leaving Philadelphia, the vessel picked up an S.O.S. ) message. The Greek steamer Stefanos Costomenis, laden with phosphate, was in danger of foundering, and frantio j calls for aid continued throughout the day. Apparently the distressed steamer had been calling for hours, but the operator had been using an incorrect signal, and the automatic alarms on other ships had not functioned. Three American ships and the Australind went to her aid. They reached the position given by the Greek operator to find no trace of the ship. The S.O.S. messages continued, however, but the Stefanos Costomenis could not give its position accurately, and an ! exciting search of the vicinity in which | she was believed to be located followed. The Australind was slower than the American steamers, and continued on her voyage, keeping a sharp look out for the distressed ship. One of the American searchers, the Steel Trade/, Taced up to the British freighter, believing it had discovered the Greek. The fruitless search ultimately irritated the Americans, and the Australind intercepted numerous messages from ship after ship, asking for a few more details of the Greek steamer’s position. “If you want to be saved, tell us where you are. The Atlantic is a big ocean," one message read. Finally the City of Newport News found the disabled steamer and the 35 members of the stricken ship’s crew were resoued. Their vessel foundered shortly afterwards. On the voyage betwea Brisbane and Sydney the Australind encountered a southerly gala, and the storm-tossed ship reached port 24 hours behind schedule. ‘‘A good voyage except for a few rough patches," was the master’s (Captain Hunter) nonchalant descrip- I tion of the voyage.